Avodah
- [Avodah] composting? March 26, 2026RJIR in Avodah V44n18: > A recent Wall Street Journal article examined an emerging practice of human composting as a solution to cemetery space shortages. The process involves natural organic reduction transforming bodies into nutrient-rich soil using microbes, clover, hay, and straw in sealed vessels over 40 days. Brooklyn's Green-Wood Cemetery plans on adopting this […]
- [Avodah] composting? March 25, 2026I suppose it depends what happens with the bones. Do the bones themselves decompose with the soft tissue, or not? If they do, it's just an accelerated version of the normal burial process. We put holes in the casket, or in Israel bury in cloth, davka to speed the decomposition of the body and return […]
- [Avodah] individualism March 25, 2026Tue, 24 Mar 2026 Joel Rich posted: From, The Paths of Providence -Chaim Gross: One of the hallmarks of modernity was the adoption (in the 18th and 19th > centuries) of individualism as the basis by which political and social > groups are structured. This principle values the individual over the > community to a […]
- [Avodah] composting? March 25, 2026. R' Joel Rich asked: > A recent Wall Street Journal article examined an emerging > practice of human composting as a solution to cemetery space > shortages. The process involves natural organic reduction > transforming bodies into nutrient-rich soil using microbes, > clover, hay, and straw in sealed vessels over 40 days.... > What […]
- [Avodah] composting? March 24, 2026A recent Wall Street Journal article examined an emerging practice of human composting as a solution to cemetery space shortages. The process involves natural organic reduction transforming bodies into nutrient-rich soil using microbes, clover, hay, and straw in sealed vessels over 40 days. Brooklyn's Green-Wood Cemetery plans on adopting this method. What does halacha has […]
- [Avodah] individualism March 24, 2026From, The Paths of Providence -Chaim Gross This articulates one of my deepest frustrations: One of the hallmarks of modernity was the adoption (in the 18th and 19th centuries) of individualism as the basis by which political and social groups are structured. This principle values the individual over the community to a much greater extent […]
- [Avodah] aruch hashulchan March 18, 2026On Wed, Mar 18, 2026 at 12:22:53AM +0200, Joel Rich via Avodah wrote: > ... which raises the question when can we say there is a minhag when > something is infrequent (tbd) I recently encountered the AhS saying "no". Those who are learning the supplementary material to Arukh haShulchan recently learned YD 57:19. The […]
- [Avodah] Fish out of water? March 17, 2026The mlacha of kotzer on Shabbat is generally defined as taking a living organism and detaching it from the ground which is its chiyut (source of life). The Yerushalmi (shabbat 48b) and many rishonim use this definition to classify taking a fish out of water as kotzer. Some extend the concept to keeping a fish […]
- [Avodah] aruch hashulchan March 17, 2026Me-I?d also love to know when the aruch hashulchan says??????? here and in other places is he reflecting on his empirical observation in his and surrounding communities or on his estimation of what other authorities have said about it or something else? A Rav I respect-Sounds like his empirical observation, but he says ??????? because […]
- [Avodah] psak from aged March 11, 2026[I'm converting the opening quote to something our digest software can handle. -micha] Rambam Hilkhos Sanhedrin 2:3: Ein ma'amidim bekhol haSanhedrin - lo zaqei muflag bashanim - velo saris mipenei sheyeish bahen akhzariyus - velo mi she'ein lo banim kedei sheyehei rachaman. Given the above, was there ever a time in halachic history where a […]